Charlie Rose Accused of Sexual Harassment by Eight Women

The veteran journalist has been hit with allegations of groping, unwanted sexual advances and exposure.

Veteran journalist Charlie Rose has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women, according to a report from The Washington Post. The women, some of whom were former employees of Rose, claim he made unwanted sexual advances toward them which included lewd phone calls, exposing himself and/or groping of their rear ends, breasts and genitals.

The ages of the women range from 21 to 37, with alleged incidents dating from 1990-2011. Rose, whose career spans four decades, is one of the most widely respected and well-known journalists in America. Due to his stature in the industry, five of the eight women that spoke to the Post did so on the condition of anonymity.

The allegations from the multiple women have a variety of similarities. Five separate accusers described incidents in which Rose put his hand on their upper thigh in order to get a reaction. Two women claimed Rose emerged from a shower and walked around naked in front of them. One claimed that Rose groped her bottom at a staff party. Young women working on Rose's show were sometimes referred to as "Charlie's Angels," according to two former employees.

One of the accusers who spoke to the Post on the record, Reah Bravo, who was an intern and associate producer in 2007 for Rose’s PBS show, claimed Rose made unwanted sexual advances toward her while she was working for him at his private waterfront estate in Bellport, New York. She called Rose "a sexual predator" and also claimed he made advances on her while they were traveling together in cars, a private plane and in a hotel suite.

Another on-record accuser, Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, who was one of Rose’s assistants in the mid-2000s, claimed that on over a dozen separate occasions Rose walked nude in front of her while she was working at one of his New York City homes. She was 21 years old at the time. She also claims that Rose called her multiple times, early in the morning or late at night, to describe fantasies of her swimming nude in his pool while he watched from his bedroom.

Ryan says she brought the calls up to Rose's longtime executive producer Yvette Vega, who she says responded, "That’s just Charlie being Charlie." Ryan claims she was fired by Rose shortly thereafter.

Vega told the Post she "should have stood up for them" and "I deeply regret not helping them."

Megan Creydt, who worked as a coordinator on Rose's show from 2005-2006, claims that Rose put his hand on her mid-thigh while they were traveling in his Mini Cooper in Manhattan. Rose was driving. "I tensed up," she told the Post. "I didn’t move his hand off, but I pulled my legs to the other side of the car. I tried not to get in a car with him ever again. I think he was testing me out.”

Creydt's boyfriend at the time confirmed he had heard the story of the incident shortly after it occurred.

In a statement, Rose apologized and took blame for some of the incidents he is accused of, but not all:

“In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked. Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues.

“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.

“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”

Earlier this month, Rose spoke on the subject of sexual harassment, and journalists' coverage thereof, during a panel moderated by The Hollywood Reporter's East Coast TV editor Marisa Guthrie. "Many of these stories have societal impact in terms of changing the same way that marriage equality has societal impact," Rose said of the numerous sexual harassment claims surrounding Hollywood. "There are certain things that happen in society that show it's moving forward."

Following the Post's report, PBS and Bloomberg on Monday announced that both will stop distributing Rose's eponymous show, which is produced by his company, Charlie Rose Inc. CBS also announced it would suspend Rose from his CBS News hosting duties.

"PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations," the network said in a statement. "We are immediately suspending distribution of Charlie Rose. CharlieRose is produced by Charlie Rose, Inc., an independent television production company. PBS does not fund this nightly program or supervise its production, but we expect our producers to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. "

"We are deeply disturbed to learn of these allegations and are immediately suspending the show from airing on Bloomberg TV," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter," a statement from CBS read. Rose, who is a co-host of CBS This Morning, is also a contributing correspondent for the network's 60 Minutes.